Comforting perked up as she was crashed into. "Well, good day to you too." She ruffled gently along Rain's mane. "You look even happier than usual, did something happen?"

Rain wriggled with excitement. "I met a stallion! He showed me around a house!"

"Oh? Did you like it?" Comforting ruffled Rain's mane gently while patting her cheek softly. "Rather sudden for you to find a stallion and already consider moving in with them. Bold! They that nice?"

Rain colored at the idea. "He's just offering the house. It's not a romance thing, though the view of the ocean? That felt pretty romantic. I thought so anyway." She chuckled nervously. "Um! It's a big house! So big! With lots of space for ponies, or maybe one pony." She giggled nervously again. "Lots of space for me!"

Comforting pet along her friend's back. "That's exactly as many ponies as any house really needs, I imagine. Did you come rushing just to tell me? I'd love to see it, but I get the feeling there's more."

Rain twisted her hooves together shyly. "He said he'd wait if I could bring you to do the paperwork part." She made an awkward little motion with her hooves out in front of herself. "I don't have any bits. Um." She glanced away and back. "Things have changed. Im the old days, just being a homeless pony was enough to get a house thrown at you. They want bits. I'm not mad, but I have none."

Comforting sighed softly at that and gave Rain's shoulder a little rub. "And that's why we all carry bits these days. It's just the way of life, though it shouldn't be." She walked past Rain. "At least it doesn't feel like late-stage yet. They may recover. Still, you're here to ask me for some, I imagine?"

Rain pulled out her satchel. "Please! I'll pay you back! Every single bit! I swear it! But I need this place! I've never felt so excited about anywhere before! I just know it's going to be perfect for me."

Comforting clapped her mismatched hands with a laugh. "Yes, but also no. I'm not in the loaning business, and I don't plan to start." She ducked out of the way for a library patron walking past. "Any bits I give are gifts, to ponies I want to have them."

Rain stared up at Comforting in awe at the words she was speaking to her about bits being given out not as loans, but as gifts from her. She wiped at her face with a hoof and fought back the tears at this generosity from her friend being offered so freely. "You are the absolute best chaos spirit I've ever met!"

"Only one these days." She touched her head to Rain's, bending over to do so. "Dad's quite a specimen, but not here to defend his title. Also, I bet he'd get mad at the idea."

Rain leaned against Comforting with tears running down her face from this display of pure generosity from the chaos spirit. "How can I ever repay you?"

Comforting scoffed. "If you knew me a little better, you'd realize I'm all about random acts of chaos." She laughed merilly. "Do things because you want to, I say. And I sent you to have that nice house, and who's gonna stop me?"

"I will." Both looked up at a severely dressed stallion crossing the library foyer towards them. "Miss Comforting Shade?"

Comforting slipped out from under Rain's hooves to stand tall over the earth pony stallion who had just appeared out of nowhere. "I'm Miss Comforting Shade, what can I do for you?"

He took out a clipboard. "I'm to understand you have a considerable interest income but have not yet reported it. I'm here to address that any any late fees you owe on that money."

Comforting blinked. "A tax pony? Why do you look so serious?"

He stamped something on his clipboard. "Failure to report such gains has drawn a high degree of suspicion from authorities on your ability to properly care for your financial holdings."

Comforting held up her hands. "Easy. I was out of this whole country for a long time, fell out of loop with the tax laws. Have mercy on me. I'll pay whatever you find I owe."

"Really?" He leaned in, eyes narrowing sharply at Comforting as he moved closer to her to be just a hair away from being nose to nose with her to push back against her like this so blatantly for asking him for mercy for her oversight in failing to pay her taxes properly when they were due. "Follow me. An office is more appropriate than a library."

Comforting fell in line behind the tax pony. "I'll be back after this, Rain. Hold on for me."

Rain stood there watching Comforting go, a stunned expression on her face at the abrupt change in tone. "I'll wait here!"

Comforting grinned mischievously at Rain. "Just don't leave town. I've grown quite attached to you."

Rain hovered anxiously outside of the tax office while she waited for Comforting to return from what she could only assume was her being very politely told off for not getting it done sooner.

Comforting emerged, faded and greyer in scale than usual. "Ugh." She spotted Rain and went to lean on them. "Can we do something fun? That took a lot out of me. Taxes and chaos spirits are not exactly a harmonious match."

Rain cooed gently and patted Comforting's mane soothingly. "There, there." She fluttered her wings. "I could do more flight practice, if you're up for it."

"That sounds better than making sure form 22B, paragraph three, is correct." She spread her smaller wings. "But I don't really fly, not like a pegasus. It's more of hovering with style, you know?"

Rain shrugged a wing slowly. "Yeah, but you said it yourself. Hovering's basically flying!" She giggled softly at that before turning more serious and pressing Comforting firmly by the shoulder with one hoof to drag her attention fully to herself for a moment. "How about we do what you want? You're the one looking more than a little drained right now."

Comforting groaned audibly but dropped all the same to put herself at eye level with Rain for a moment just to consider things more seriously. "Let's head to the Brighthouse, there are ponies I need to catch up with."

Rain squealed at the idea. "That sounds fun! Every pony, and that little dragon, are great there. Let's go!" She pointed to the pillar of a rainbow that led to the brighthouse.

Rain made her way up the beam and flapped through the door with Comforting on her tail. "That was way faster this time!" She clapped her hooves together and waved at the ponies in the common room of the place.

That was Pipp that day. "Woah, look at you, glamming it up with a personal vibe. I'm loving it." She took a quick photo of Rain. "What has your inner glow all spilling out everywhere? Good news?"

Rain looked down at herself and saw nothing really changed besides feeling more energetic than usual. "No, um. Is this really a change?" She trotted in place with nervousness showing on her face at being inspected closely by Pipp in such a casual manner that was both direct and felt harmless. "Pipp, right?"

"That's me," sang out Pipp, waving at Comforting. "Hey Comfs! I get two guests today? Fab. I was going to do a stream, and if you two wanna be in it, that'd be so cool, I can't even." She waved a hoof, laughing almost hysterically at the idea. "Two creatures from before most of my watchers were alive? This could be great."

Rain hopped up on a couch next to Zipp who was scrolling through her phone disinterestedly. "I have a friend!" She looked to Comforting and gave her an encouraging wave for her to join them.

Comforting rolled her eyes. "You have a few, and this one was just asking you a question." She smiled at Pipp. "I'm up for an interview, sure."

Zipp peeked up from her phone with a smile on her face at seeing Comforting there with Rain Shower. "Howdy!" She glanced at Rain with amusement in her eyes. "Interview? What's this about?"

Rain hopped up and down in place. "Pipp's gonna do a livestream with us in it!"

Pipp was already greeting her fans. "And today we have some special guests!" She turned her phone to face Comforting, then Rain. "You might have seen the big one, that's Comforting. She works in one of the city libraries. Fantastic or what? She may be a spirit of chaos, but she'll get you whatever book you're looking for, too."

Comforting blew Pipp a kiss before it was time for Pipp to show off Rain Shower and let the whole world get a good look at her too.

Pipp gestured towards Rain. "And over here we have a very special pegasus. Not only is she a nice pony, but she holds the mysterious ancient art of weather control, and she's sharing it with my sis! How crazy is that?!"

Zipp's wings shot up with embarrassment at the mention of her learning about weather magic from Rain and how many ponies would see this video. "Really?" She made an awkward display of brushing herself off in an attempt to appear calmer and less flustered than she really felt at being put on display like that. "It's not that big of a deal."

Rain cleared her throat and glanced away shyly with a little smile on her face. "Hello, um, what do I call them? Hi!" She waved at Pipp's phone and the untold legion of ponies that could see them through it. "Oh! Once Zipp finishes learning, she'll share it. I hear she has a flying class."

"At the library." Zipp pointed the way. "Same one Comforting works at. Right down that street. There's plenty of room there for ponies to fly."

Rain smiled happily at that idea of Zipp getting together a class of pegasi at the library for a more in-depth look at weather magic. "Can I help?"

Zipp inclined her head. "Oh, uh, yeah? Why the hay not? Right now it's just me. I won't say no to a co-teacher to spread things out. So, if you're up for it."

Pipp flipped the phone to face herself. "You heard it here first! Looks like the library's getting another teacher, and this one really brings the storm with her!"

"Let's not be too literal." Zipp laughed loudly and pressed her hoof to her face with embarrassment. "That's just begging for trouble, really."

Rain glanced around curiously, searching for Sparky, and perked up when she spotted him with his dad in the background. "Oh! There he is!" She darted over to them and hovered in place with excitement on her face at seeing that little dragon. "Aw, so cute!" She squeezed Sparky into a hug and flapped her wings before sitting down with Hitch.

Hitch hugged Sparky back gently and laughed at Rain's playful hopping around with him. "Nice to see you again." Sparky made an excited noise of agreement. "Sparky's happy to see you too." Hitch was happy letting the two play. "Pipp, all done, or do you need Rain back?"

Pipp held up her hooves innocently. "They're all yours."

Rain was chasing Sparky through the common room with giggles on both sides all around that room, until she lost sight of him for just a moment. "Huh? Where'd he go?" She bumped into him from behind just as she turned a corner. "There you are!" She hugged the little dragon warmly. "Thought I lost you."

Author's Note

Two things that are quite reliable. Comforting wasn't getting away from the pony IRS that easily! Written at Everfree NW in a hotel room. Fun! I blame all typos on that.